Slip socket



SLIP SOCKET Nov. Y5, 1929.

A. H, NEILSON Filed March 19. 1928 Patented Nov. 5, 1929 PATENT OFFICE ALBERT H. NEILSON, F TULSA, OKLAHOMA SLIP SOCKET Application led March 19, 1928. Serial No. 262,934.

My invention relates to fishing tools and more particularly to a slip socket or removal of broken or disconnected sucker' rods from a well and has for its principal object to provide means whereby either the pin, box yor a broken' or mushroomed end of a sucker rod may be engaged 'and lifted from the well.`

Another object of the invention is to provide independently operable slip units which may be quickly and easily assembled in the socket for the independent use of any one particular unit or for the cooperative use of all the units.

In accomplishing the objects of my invention 'I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional perspective view of the device showing the slips in their normal down position for receiving a sucker rod.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the upper sli unit engaged with a broken suckerrod.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the lower slip mechanism engaged with the disconnected pin of the sucker rod coupling.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line L1--4, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a barrel having a bore tapering downwardly from about its longitudinal center and terminating in an outwardly flaring mouth 3, the upper portion of the bore being provided with screw threads 4 for attachment to the plug` 5 of a coupling cap 6.

The cap member 6 comprises a flange 7 engaging the top end of thebarrel, a wrench shank 8 and threaded pin 9 for connection with a mating coupling (not shown), the coupling being connected with a cable whereby the socket may be let `iiito and removed from a well. Formed integrally with and depending centrally from the bottom of the lug 5 is a threaded boss`10 of substantially ess diameter than the plug to provide an annular s ace between the periphery of the boss and t e upper end of the barrel opening, the boss being provided for a purpose here- I0 after described.

Located in the tapered end of the barrel 1 is a reversible slip unit 11 including a plurality of individual slips 12 having exterior annular grooves 13 at their middle portions seating a retainer ring 14 whereby the slips 55 vto adapt them'for receiving objects of different sizes and being toothed to grip the objects under the conditions hereafter described.

Supported within the upper portion of the bore 2 in the barrel 1 is a supplemental socket barrel 16 having interior screw threads 17 engaged with the threaded boss 10 on the cap 6, the barrel 16 beingof smaller diameter 70 than the bore 2 to provide an annular space 18 between the barrels, and of such a length as to terminate about the center of the barrel 1 and thereby avoiding interference with the slip's of the major slip unit (see Fig. 3), 75 the inner tapered walls 19 of the barrel being downwardly restricted and terminating in a iiared mouth 20 for facilitating the application of the barrel to the loose end of a rod standing in a well.

Mounted within the barrel 16 and longitudinally slidable therein is a supplemental slip unit 2l comprising a plurality of slip segments 22 having ou'ter tapered surfaces 23 to fit the tapered inner walls of the barrel, ai; 'and outer annular grooves l24: adjacent their upper ends engaged by a retainer ring 25 for holding the slips in assembled relation; the inner walls of the sli s being tapered to form an upwardly restricted bore 26 and 0o provided with annular serrations 27 for gripping a sucker rod when the socket is lowered thereon.

Inorder that the sli units 11 and 21 may be yieldingly urged downwardly for con- 95 tracting the slips and effecting their engagement with a sucker rod or a rod coupling, coil springs-28 and 29 are mounted in the respective barrels, the spring 28 resting on the top-end of the, slip unit 11 and extend- 100 ing upward through the annular space 18 and limiting against the collar 5; the spring 29 being confined between the upper end of the slip unit 21 and the boss 10 so that said unit is normally urged into the position shown in Fig. 1.

In practicing the invention the socket is connected to the end of a cable line such as is used in oil well drilling and pumping practice and is lowered into a well for the recovery of sucker rods which have become broken or disconnected at a joint, t'he upper portion of the disjoined string being first removed with the commonly employed rod pulling apparatus in order to permit lowering of the socket.

After the upper portion of the disjoined string is removed, the lower end thereof is inspected to determine the character of the break in the rod or disconnection at a coupling, so that the proper gripping portion of the compound slip unit l1 may be arranged in lproper, position should the disconnection occur at a coupling as shown in Fig. 3.

In lowering the socket the slip units 11 and 21 are in their down or closed position (Fig. l) and the bores therein are contracted to a smaller diameter than the coupling or rod portions with which they are adapted to engage; however, the slip units are adapted for expansion within their respective barrels, the lower portion of the unit 11 being adapted to receive a disconnected rod coupling, the upper portion being provided for engaging the mushroomed end of a rod, and the unit 21 being adapted for engaging the body of a broken rod.

When the socket is lowered in a Well and engages a broken rod in the slip unit21 (Fig. 2) or a disconnected coupling in the unit 11 as shown in Fig. 3, its downward movement is halted. On the initial upward movement of the socket the frictionally engaged slip unit is pulled downward in the restricted bore, causing the slips to contract Aand firmly en` gage the rod portion received therein so that the depending lower string of rods may be removed from the well.

Thus it is apparent that by arrangement of the smaller set of slips above the larger set I am able to assemble the plurality of sets within a single-barrel without elongation of the barrel or of the slips, and that the slip sets are automatically selectively operable for gripping the objects 'for which they are adapted without interference one with the other.

It is further apparent that the uppei` unit 19- may be made operative as an individual unit by fitting the upper end of the barrel 16 with a coupling cap having a diameter equal to the barrel. Being so fitted the unit 2l is adapted for lowering into a working barrel or the like having a smaller diameter than the tubing for which the major socket is primarily adapted. i

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A socket comprising a barrel, a set of slips mounted in the barrel, a second barrel suspendedl fixed within the first-named barrel, a set o slips in the second-named barrel, and means for retaining the sets of slips in functional position within their respective barrels.

2. A socket comprising a barrel, a cap on the barrel, a set of expansible slips retained in the barrel, a second barrel 'fixed to the cap, a supplemental set of expansible slips in the second-named barrel, and yielding means for retaining the slips in contracted position.

3. A socket comprising abarrel having a tapered bore, a set of slips retained in the bore, a barrel suspended within the firstnamed barrel having a tapered bore, a set of supplemental slips retained in said lastnamed bore, and yielding means for independently retaining the sets of slips in their respective bores.

4. A socket comprising an outer barrel, a set of'slips retained in the barrel, an inner barrel mounted within the outer barrel, a coil spring encircling the inner barrel and bearing against the slips to retain the slips in functional position, a supplemental set of slips retained in the inner barrel, and a second coiled spring contained within the inner` bars rel and bearing against the supplemental slips.

5. A socket comprising an outer barrel, expansible slips retained in the barrel, an inner barrel spaced from the walls of the outer barrel, and expansible slips retained in the inner barrel and ,operable independently of the first-named slips.

6. A socket of the character described including a single elongated outer barrel interiorly tapered at the lower end, a set of exteriorly tapered slips operable within the lower end of the barrel, a second barrel suspended within the upper end of the outer bar rel, spaced from the wall of the outer barrel and having an interiorly tapered lower end, a set of exteriorly tapered slips operable witbin the lower end of the inner barrel, a cap for the outer barrel, a spring surrounding the inner barrel and engaging the lower set of slips and a spring in the inner barrel engaging the upper slips for the purpose set fort-l1.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ALBERT H. NEILSON. 

